Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) announced at a public event in the Capitol that she was introducing a bill to ban the sale and manufacture of assault weapons, as well as magazines holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition.
The leadership of NLC, the National Association of Counties, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors met in Washington, D.C. and pledged that their organizations will work together to convince Congress and the Administration not to limit the tax exemption for municipal bonds in any tax reform or deficit reduction efforts this year.
Responding to the immigration framework announcement by the bipartisan group of Senators lead by Senator Schumer, NLC President Marie Lopez Rogers, mayor, Avondale, AZ said: "For years NLC has been a strong advocate of fixing our nation's broken immigration system. For too long, the poorly performing system has contributed to financial, cultural and political strain in our nation's communities. Comprehensive reform is needed now to provide cities and towns with the support they need as they continue to integrate immigrants into their communities."
The National League of Cities (NLC) announces the start of a new, three-year initiative to help municipal leaders increase children’s access to health insurance coverage. The Cities Expanding Children’s Access to Health Care project will be launched with a $3.25 million grant from The Atlantic Philanthropies and is aimed at strengthening the capacity of city leaders to maximize children’s participation in public health insurance programs.
As NLC rolls out its Cities Expanding Children’s Access to Health Care initiative, local officials have a concurrent opportunity to apply for federal outreach and enrollment grants to connect eligible children with Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
Through a $3.25 million grant from The Atlantic Philanthropies, NLC’s Institute for Youth, Education and Families has launched a new, three-year initiative to help municipal leaders increase children’s enrollment in Medicaid and CHIP.
In response to Senator Dianne Feinstein's new legislation to reduce gun violence, NLC President Marie Lopez Rogers, mayor, Avondale, AZ said, "NLC shares Senator Feinstein's goal of keeping deadly assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition feeding devices off the streets of America's cities and towns, and endorses this legislation. Further, we hope that both the Senate and House will move quickly to pass this bill aimed at addressing the gun violence epidemic that plagues our country."
While the true prospects for comprehensive immigration reform remain murky, the desire for Congressional action that will end the national divisiveness is palpable. With the US Chamber of Congress and the AFL-CIO joining together demanding legislation that includes a path to citizenship, proposals from Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), remarks by President Obama in his inaugural address this week and Congressional leaders stepping forward to work on the outlines for a proposal, it appears that Congress will have another opportunity to debate the issue which has alluded compromise for so many years.
As President Obama has vowed to make gun control "a central issue" of his second term, NLC has responded, making it clear that as an organization, NLC's National Municipal Policy supports a comprehensive proposal to reduce gun violence throughout the country.
General Martin E. Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff will address attendees at NLC’s upcoming Congressional City Conference held in Washington, DC, March 9 – 13.
